Main navigation

I can’t believe it’s not Hummus!

When you try this hummus you will likely find yourself saying, “I can’t believe it’s not real hummus!” Because that is exactly what it tastes like, real hummus.

I haven’t had real chickpea based “hummus” in over 5 years! I had to give it up back when I started the SCD diet and then later I learned I had ankylosing spondylitis and I would have to avoid starches anyhow, so I never got to add hummus back into my diet. But way back in my vegan days I ate ate soooo much hummus! And I did discover a really decent “raw hummus” recipe from Café Gratitude that uses sprouted raw almonds, while good, it still wasn’t hummus. Then this week magic happened as I was stirring up my sprouted watermelon seed crepe batter. I tasted it before adding in the egg and sweetener, and I was like this could make a killer HUMMUS!! Then I added in all of the ingredients normally found in hummus like tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and sea salt. And bada-bing! Hummus happened in my kitchen!! And if you use fresh garlic and let it marinate in the sauce overnight it is even more insanely delicious and flavorful the next day. You are gonna love this low carb, starch-free, protein-rich hummus! Sprouted watermelon seeds have about as much protein as hemp seeds, yet I think the watermelon seeds have such a nicer more mellow taste. I LOVE cilantro and fresh herbs in my hummus, but feel free to omit them for a super smooth creamy hummus.

I also want to give some credit for the creamy watermelon seed idea to Johnnna who tagged me last week on instagram when I she made a vegan “sriracha sour cream” using the watermelon seeds in a recipe that she usually uses cashews for, turns out it also worked out awesome with the sprouted watermelon seeds. She had been inspired to buy them after reading my watermelon seed waffle and pancake post. So far these sprouted watermelon seeds have been nothings short of amazing in all of the grain free baking and cooking I have done with them! I love them in these pancakes and I also love using them in my pizza crust recipe. You can read more about them on this post.

Since I don’t do nightshades or starches I garnished my hummus with a little sumac. Have you used sumac before? It’s a deep red spice that is not an actual nightshade, instead it has a lemon taste to it and is an excellent flavoring for fish. I love serving it over grilled trout. But you can easily skip the sumac if you don’t happen to have any.

Grind sprouted watermelon seeds in a coffee/spice grinder for about 15 seconds until fine and powdery. Then add ground seeds to a small mixing bowl.

Add in ingredients in the order they are listed.

I like my hummus more on the smooth and runnier side, so I add in a total of 1/4 cup water + 2 Tablespoons of water. Just add the water slowly until you get to your preferred consistency.

If you don’t have a coffee/spice grinder, you can blend ingredients together in a high speed blender. Just be sure to add in the cilantro at the very end so you don’t end up with green hummus. If using a large food processor to blend, you may have to double the ingredients to get it to blend properly, but it worked just find in my Vitamix, though required more water in the Vitamix then when mixed by hand.

*If using cashews instead, soak them for an hour in water before blending. I am assuming cashews will also work awesome in this recipe, as many years ago I made a raw vegan cashew hummus just like this. But now cashews are too starchy for my auto-immune disease fighting diet, too bad for me, but still good for you!

Wow, so mich yumminess on that plate! Love all of the beautiful colors. So fun to dip in the “not”hummus. Thanks for stopping by and sharing this with us at Savoring Saturdays linky party! Have a great rest of the week!